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Published Articles by Michael Morris

2012 Fantasy Football Players Who Have Good Matchups ROS

The All-Second Half Team

It’s important to look ahead and know which players have sweet matchups for the rest of the 2012 fantasy football season. It’s Week 11 and playoffs are right around the corner. Many fantasy footballers will either miss or make playoffs by a difference of just one or two games. Don’t be the one on the wrong side of that coin.

Below is a select group of players chosen based on the ease of their schedule for the remaining six games of the season in a PPR league with no major stat differences. I looked at who each of the top players in the league are scheduled to face and how their opponents performed against players at that same position.

An example of this would be Carolina receiver Steve Smith vs. Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have allowed the most fantasy points against wide receivers of all 32 NFL teams, giving them a rank of 32nd. With that being said, Steve Smith is one player you would definitely want to start. This practice is not an exact science but it is a very good indicator of what will happen on game day.

Tony Romo, Dal QB

Matchups for ROS: Cle, Wsh, Phi, @Cin, Pit, NO, @Wsh
Tony Romo hasn’t wowed anybody this year but a favorable schedule on the back-end of the season will allow him to produce more than he has so far this year. Ranked outside of the top 10 among quarterbacks as of now, I expect his numbers to increase starting this week against Cleveland. Romo is playing against four teams ranked in the bottom third in pass defense and plays just two games on the road the rest of the way. Unless you have one of those elite quarterbacks, make an attempt to acquire Romo for what you have now. His soft schedule will allow him to outperform guys like Josh Freeman, Andy Dalton, Cam Newton, Michael Vick and Joe Flacco the rest of the way.

Jamaal Charles, KC RB

Matchups for ROS: Cin, Den, Car, @Cle, @Oak, Ind, @Den
Jamaal Charles, when given enough carries, is one of the most productive backs in the league. When given the rock 20 times or more in a game he has rushed for 100 yards or more this year. Charles has a schedule in front of him that includes games against the 27th (Cin), 28th (Car), 26th (Cle) and 31st (Oak) ranked defenses. It is by far the easiest schedule remaining among all backs in the NFL and with that schedule he’ll be able to improve on his 15.8 points per game average. If you have him and are in contention be sure to hold onto him and look forward to a second half that will reap serious rewards.

Darren Sproles, NO RB

Matchups for ROS: @Oak, SF, @Al, @NYG, TB, @Dal, Car
Darren Sproles is a guy I loved this year given the type of player he is and the style of offense that he plays in which rewards catch happy running backs. Sproles has averaged just 3.5 carries a game in the 7 games he’s played in but has caught the ball 39 times for 323 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Sproles is set to face four defenses (Oak, Atl, TB and Car) that rank in the bottom third against running backs. Sproles has shown an ability to produce with limited touches this season and he certainly will produce against some of the softest defenses in the league. He’s a player I have in two leagues and he is a big reason for my success this year.

Andre Johnson, Hou WR

Matchups for ROS: Jac, @Det, @Ten, @NE, Ind, Min, @Ind
Andre Johnson has not lived up to the 1st round selection most Johnson owners expected him to. But if you have him don’t worry. He’ll finish with more 8 catch 100-yard games than he had in the first 10 weeks of the season. Johnson is ranked out of the top 20 in receivers as of now but don’t expect the same to be said at the end of the year.

Denarius Moore, Oakland Raiders

Matchups for ROS: NO, @Cin, Cle, Den, KC, @Car, @SD
Denarius Moore has scored a touchdown in four of his last five games and I don’t expect that pattern to stop. Moore has one of the easiest schedules coming up but the fact that the Oakland run game is banged up will only add to the looks they give their new best offensive player since McFadden is out. If you have someone like Andre Roberts, Torrey Smith, Dwayne Bowe or Mike Wallace try and deal them for Moore. It will be a decision you won’t regret.

Jason Witten, Dal TE

Matchups for ROS: Cle, Wsh, Phi, @Cin, Pit, NO, @Wsh
After three weeks of mediocrity Jason Witten has reminded football fans why he was touted as a top 5 tight end to start the year. An injured spleen kept Witten to just eight catches and 76 yards in the first three weeks but a coming out party against Chicago in Week 3 has sparked a much better season than even the biggest of Witten fans didn’t expect. In the last six games Witten has 58 catches. The surprising thing is the one touchdown he has. Any other tight end would love to have the schedule Witten is set to have given the four teams in the bottom third in terms of defense against tight ends. Witten will find the end zone at least twice the rest of the season while also finishing the season with more than 90 receptions.

Chicago Bears D/ST

Matchups for ROS: @SF, Min, Sea, @Min, GB, @Ari, @Det
When you have a defense that averages about the same amount of points as Atlanta receiver Julio Jones or Philadelphis running back LeSean McCoy and have scored almost 50 points more than the next best defense, the schedule renders itself meaningless.

Sebastian Janikowski, Oak K

Matchups for ROS: NO, @Cin, Cle, Den, KC, @Car, @SD
For the most part, you want to have a kicker going up against teams that allow a lot of points and you want the team of the player you have to score a lot of points. With that said, Oakland has the easiest schedule of any team the rest of the way. Janikowski will be playing four teams that rank in the bottom third in points allowed by kickers while also facing defenses that are simply just not that good.

Players with sweet Matchups ROS – Honorable Mentions

Carson Palmer, Oak QB

Michael Turner, Atl RB

DeSean Jackson, Phi WR

Antonio Gates, SD TE

San Francisco 49ers D/ST

Connor Barth, TB K

If you are confident in your team and feel no adjustments are necessary to increase your chances of winning, stand pat. But for those of you looking for a slight increase in your chances to win, try and go after one or two of these players listed above. A wise man once said, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” and the players named to the Fantasy Couch All-Second Half Team are set to finish with the best of them.